It’s that time of year again when i tell you that the largest beer festival in the Southern Hemisphere is nearly upon us. The Cape Town Festival of Beer 2012 takes place over three days from the 23-25 November at Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green Point and this years event is bringing even more beer to the table than ever before..over 150 beers apparently. My mouth is already watering..i can feel it on my lips. There will even be limited editions of beers brewed just for the Festival and if all goes according to plan you may well taste some homemade golden deliciousness from yours truly. Yep ..i’m making 23 litres myself.

So as part of the run up to the Cape Town Beer Festival 2012 i’ve been asked to try my hand at making my own beer. Something every self-respecting man should try at least once in their lifetime. So myself and 9 other people got invited to take part in the Brew Masters Challenge and took delivery of a home brewing kit.

Prior to reading the instructions i had f**k all idea on how to make beer and let me you..i got schooled. Look at what goes into making your very own beer at home.

I was lank amped to get started and then read the “Please take note of the following” instructions in the bottom left there.

CAUTION, if bottled too early or you use too much sugar in the bottle it will result in extremely gassy beer and could even explode with the pressure and cause serious injury!!

Say what now! Way to go put the pressure on hey (see what i did they..punned that right in the face).

Anyways..once my confidence returned i proceeded to clean and sterilise the fermentor..the big white drum thing. Yes you have to actually scrub and sterilise the drum before hand to remove anything that may spoil your beer. Once that is done you need to heat the malt in the can to make it softer so it’s able to pour. While you’re doing that in a pot filled with warm water you need to boil 2 litres of waters and add it to the now clean fermentor. Add 1kg of beer enhancer (dextrose) to the 2l boiling water and stir. It’s at this point you you start smelling the familar aroma of beer. Scoop in the can of malt and mix it in.

Ya..looks like ass water at this point, but it smells magical!

Carried my concoction to the spare bedroom and stuck it the shower where i added cold water to the required 23litre level. Mixed it around and then sprinkled the packet of yeast over the top and stirred like a mad man. Stuck the lid on tight and jammed in the airlock at the top. You need to fill the airlock with some water to rotect the brew while fermenting and to let excess gas escape.

And voila.

23 litres of golden nectar that left my apartment smelling like a brewery.

It has to sit there for 5-7 days to ferment at a temp between 18-30 degrees C. Then i’ll have to check the specific gravity (science sh*t), but i’ll do another post next week on that and let you know that goes.

After that i’ll have clear and bottle my beer and store it for another 2 weeks when it wil be unleashed on the world and hopefully be judged as the best brew in the challenge. That comes with some serious braggings rights..my own beer stand next year and some crazy prizes for you folks.

During the waiting period though i’m gonna need you fine people to help me name it and design the label. Will be giving away some tickets and other prizes so watch this space.

In the mean time go check the CT Festival of Beer website HERE for more info. Prices, specials, other entertainment and what not.